What happened between Nicki Minaj and Machel Montano? Tobagonian musician apologizes to rapper over his comments at Stink N Dutty fete

In a recent development, Tobagonian soca legend Machel Montano has issued a public apology to global superstar Nicki Minaj after his comments during his Stink N Dutty fete performance sparked controversy.

On February 23, 2025, during an interview with OvertimeTT, Tobagonian musician Machel Montano issued an apology to rapper Nicki Minaj over comments he made during the Stink N Dutty fete event. The video clip from the interview has since gone viral.

In the apology video, Montano clarified that the statements circulating on social media were not his intended message, attributing his words to the heat of the moment. He expressed regret, stating that he did not wish to hurt the Trinidadian rapper or her fans —

"I am saying forgive me. I am not perfect. In that moment, I was a little hot and I didn't want it to sound to Nicki or her fans that she was the one fighting me down," Montano said.

The apology came after Minaj shared a video on Instagram expressing confusion over Montano's comments, in which he seemed to suggest that she was "fighting" him down during the event.

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Machel Montano clears the air with rapper Nicki Minaj

On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Machel Montano apologized to rapper Nicki Minaj in an interview with OvertimeTT.

In the video message, Montano explained that during his performance at the Stink N Dutty fete event, which began on February 22, 2025, he was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response from the audience.

While performing the song Good Spirit by Full Blown, Montano mentioned that the crowd's energy led him to get caught up in the moment. When he sang the line "Don't fight me down," he directed the message at Minaj, but Montano clarified that it did not come out as intended.

He emphasized that his words were not meant to convey any negativity towards the rapper and expressed regret over the misunderstanding —

"In the fete, I was just compelled to sing the Good Spirit song and as soon as I started to sing the Good Spirit song, it started to resonate deep within me especially when I said the line 'don't fight me down'... It didn't come out the way it was supposed to come out," Montano said.

Furthermore, Montano acknowledged that his words were misunderstood and accepted responsibility for the mistake on his part. He emphasized that he holds great admiration for Minaj's music and has a deep respect for her work —

"It was a misunderstanding—a mistake on my part—and I'm a big man and I will say that. Nicki, you know I respect you and you know I love you and I did not try to jump out there and attack you and I didn't want any of your fans or you to feel that you have ever done anything to fight me down. You did the opposite. You always lift me up," Montano added.

During the Stink N Dutty fete on Saturday, Machel Montano, dressed in a neon green cord set, paused his performance and requested the crew to stop the music.

He addressed the crowd, making remarks about Nicki Minaj, suggesting she should stop "fighting him down." However, he did not clarify the exact meaning behind his use of the term "fight" —

"Stop, stop, stop. Nicki Minaj and Trinidad Killa stop fighting me down, stop fighting me down," Montano said.

In response, Nicki Minaj took her Instagram account to share a video where she asked Machel Montano, "What did I do?" In the video, she appeared visibly upset and confused by his remarks. This video was posted before Montano's public apology.

As of now, Nicki Minaj has yet to respond to Montano's apology video.